Michele Sender – USA
The author; photo taken during a visit to England
“Does it seem to you a small thing that the past year has been spent only in your “family duties”? Nay, but what better cause for reward, what better discipline, than the daily and hourly performance of duty? Believe me my “pupil,” the man or woman who is placed by karma in the midst of small plain duties and sacrifices and loving-kindness, will through these faithfully fulfilled rise to the larger measure of Duty, Sacrifice and Charity to all Humanity—what better path towards the enlightenment you are striving after than the daily conquest of Self, the perseverance in spite of want of visible psychic progress, the bearing of ill-fortune with that serene fortitude which turns it to spiritual advantage—since good and evil are not to be measured by events on the lower or physical plane.” Mahatma KH
Does it ever feel like life is taking the ability to live spiritually out of everyday existence? That there is very little time to spend on our “spiritual duties”? This has been on my mind as I write this message from Michigan, where I am helping family usher in new opportunities while Pablo is in California unfolding new ideas to share the living power of Theosophy. I have spent very little time on meditation, study, or service to humanity. If this were an isolated event, I would just do my duty and return to my practice as soon as I can.
But the truth is, this is my spiritual practice right now.
I often imagine spiritual life as something separate from ordinary life—a sanctuary to retreat to when mundane duties finally release me. I picture the dedicated hours of meditation, the uninterrupted study, the organized service projects. And when circumstances pull me away from these forms, it feels like somehow, I have failed or fallen behind.
Yet the Master M suggests something different. In the quote, he points to the faithful performance of whatever duty karma has placed before us as genuine spiritual discipline. Not as a consolation prize when “real” practice isn’t possible, but as the actual path itself. The daily conquest of self doesn’t happen only on the meditation cushion—it happens in the patience we bring to repetitive tasks, in choosing kindness when we’re exhausted, in remaining steady when plans collapse.
What if the spiritual life isn’t something we do in addition to our regular life, but something we discover within it? What if these very circumstances that seem to interrupt our practice are, in fact, the practice karma has assigned?
Microdosing the Spiritual Life
Still, meditation, study, and service remain essential. They’re not luxuries we abandon when life gets busy—they’re the vitamins that sustain us through demanding seasons. The key is adapting their form without abandoning their essence. Science is discovering the value of micro-practice. An article recently published in the New Scientist, December 8 2025 (1) says, “Too busy to meditate? Microdosing mindfulness has big health benefits.”
Meditation in moments: A single conscious breath while waiting at a red light. Ten seconds of heart-centered awareness before opening an email. The brief pause between one task and another to simply notice you’re alive and present. These micro-meditations don’t replace deeper practice, but they keep the thread alive. They remind us throughout the day that consciousness itself is always available.
Study in fragments: One paragraph from theosophical text with your morning coffee. A single aphorism carried in your pocket to revisit throughout the day. Even rereading a passage you’ve highlighted before plants seeds. The mind continues working on these fragments in the background, often revealing insights during unrelated activities. Quality matters more than quantity—one sentence genuinely absorbed can transform a day.
Service in small gestures: Listening fully when someone speaks instead of planning your response. Choosing patience when everything in you wants to react. Offering genuine encouragement to someone struggling. Service to humanity doesn’t always mean organized volunteering—sometimes it means bringing a bit more light to each interaction karma places before you. The checkout clerk, the frustrated family member, the stranger in need of directions—each is humanity in miniature.
These practices aren’t compromises. They’re how we train ourselves to recognize that the spiritual life is always present, always available, part of life itself, rather than separated from it. When dedicated time for practice returns, we’ll find these micro-moments have kept the path alive.
Let us honor the ordinary duties that fill our days as one year’s lessons yield to next year’s opportunities and may grace and grit be our companions in the faithful performance of each moment.
SOURCES
(1) For the article click HERE
+++++++
Michele and Pablo Sender, residents at Krotona, are active workers spreading Theosophy to all four corners of the globe. They contribute with articles, book publications, study courses and lectures, sharing the Living Power of Theosophy. Stay informed concerning their various activities, click HERE